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Category Archives: Parenting

This weekend, when we went grocery shopping, I was surprised to see my son spending lot of time in front of the toothpaste section of the supermarket and closely checking out their brands and packs. When I asked him, what was he searching for, he told me about the Colgate toothpaste packs which have magical sea world printed inside. He had seen the ads about these packs on television and wanted the toothpaste.

I picked a pack for him from the upper shelf. He was super-excited and eager to cut out the intricate little figurines printed on the inner side of the pack at the earliest.

He got to work as soon as we reached home, cutting out the boxes and arranging the sea creatures carefully on a board. I must confess, the figurines were really fascinating and even I was transported to the fairyland of childhood for a while. I relived those moments of innocent wonders and imagination again with him by pitching in to help him with cutting the print outs of pirates, sea-creatures, and under-water castle.

It was such a pleasure to watch him completely engrossed in the fun activity, almost lost in the sweet world of dreams, spending his leisure time in a creative and constructive activity away from the screen and gadgets.

My son has always been fascinated with sea and the wonders that lie hidden within it. Along with cutting and arranging the figurines, he was also weaving a story about the magical sea world in the imaginary world of his brain. I realized this soon, as i was treated to a fascinating story, which i am sharing here with you-

Magical sea world cut outs

“Hey! Try to keep the ship steady” Blackbeard, the pirate shouted.

“I am trying my best” shrieked back Sadie, his assistant and co passenger on the ship.

Just then another huge wave came crashing into the ship, almost toppling it over and the duo fall into the water. Their ship started sinking rapidly into the deep sea.

Blackbeard and Sadie try to keep themselves afloat but are soon knocked out by sheer physical drain. Next morning, they wash up on an island and realize the real situation when they are woken up by the bright sunlight.

Actually, Blackbeard and Sadie had been sailing the seas since several months searching for a big treasure hidden at a secret location in the sea. On the way, a storm struck their ship.

When Blackbeard and Sadie looked around, they noticed that the island was deserted and there was no one to help them. For some time, they sat dejected and utterly frustrated. Then, as the sun was setting on the horizon, Sadie decided to search around for something to eat for dinner before it got completely dark.

Soon, she found a coconut tree which had several fresh green coconuts hanging on it. She picked up a big bamboo from a groove nearby and hit it at one of the big coconuts which immediately fell on the sand below.

As Sadie bent down to pick it up, she noticed something shimmering in the sand. On removing the top layer of the sand from the spot where the heavy coconut had fallen and created a small depression, she discovered a shiny brass box.

She hurriedly picked it up and went back to where Blackbeard was still lost in his depressing thoughts of impending doom.

“Look ! what i found” squealed Sadie as she handed over the brass box to Blackbeard.

Blackbeard quickly opened the box and was completely astonished. There was a wonderful surprise for him inside. It was a treasure map which was neatly folded and kept in the box.

“Sadie! This is the map we have been searching for!” exclaimed Blackbeard.

“Are you looking for the treasure hidden in the underwater castle?” a strange voice spoke behind them.

“What?” Blackbeard looked up towards the voice, completely surprised.

“I’m Hari!” said the parrot which was perched on the top branch of the palm tree just behind where they were standing. I had been guarding the map inside the box since long but as you have luckily found the box, i will help you find that treasure.

So, next day, Blackbeard and Sadie followed the parrot, who led them to the opposite side of the island. There, the parrot called his friend Rudy-the crab and stated discussing something with him. Rudy, later called the other sea creatures- the lion fish, the sea horse, the dolphin, octopus, star fish, sword fish, and many more.

After a while, Hari flew towards Blackbeard and Sadie.

“My fellow mates have only one condition to support you in getting the treasure; and that is, you must give each of them their rightful share of the treasure after you retrieve it” Hari told the duo.

“Okay, i agree!” said Blackbeard, his face gleaming with joy and determination.

“Hello! there is a boat hidden right there, if you want to start right now” said the crab, pointing towards the mangroves.

Blackbeard and Sadie immediately take the boat and start their journey, with the parrot guiding them towards the underwater castle for some distance.

“From here my friend Oru- the octopus will guide you underwater and help you carry the treasure back.” Hari told Blackbeard after they had covered half the route on the boat. Now, they would have to swim underwater to reach the castle.

Blackbeard and Sadie followed Oru, swimming with full strength and soon reached the underwater castle. They are overjoyed to find the huge treasure inside the castle which they had been searching for years. Blackbeard divides the treasure equally amongst all the sea creatures, Sadie and himself. He thanks them all for their help.

With this, my son ended his interesting story. I was really amazed by his imagination skills. Thanks to the new Colgate strong teeth packs, i was able to witness a new facet of my son’s personality which i’ll try my best to nurture and polish further.

There are four packs in all of this colgate toothpaste with different themes, which have sea creatures printed on the inner side along with information about these creatures- the coral reef, sea magic, treasure hunt and pirate ship.

This activity is a fantastic way of unlocking your child’s imagination and unleashing their creativity.They learn wonderful facts along with playing. Not to forget, that the mundane chore of brushing teeth, twice a day becomes more fun for kids when their toothpaste pack is so interesting.

Next day, my son decided to test my knowledge about sea creatures by taking a small quiz. He prepared the quiz from the info he had collected from the colgate packs.

IT’S QUIZ TIME !

Why are Lion fish dangerous?

How does Puffer fish defend itself?

What is the name of largest member of dolphin family?

What is uncommon about the way crabs walk?

How many hearts does an octopus have?

What are mermaids and pirates?

How does sting ray defend itself?

What are groups that dolphins live in called?

Now, don’t you think this is real infotainment!

You can find the answers to the above questions and many more like these on the inner side of the packs, so get going and grab the new colgate strong teeth toothpaste which helps not just in fighting against germs and gum diseases but also spark the kids’ imagination towards unrestricted flights of fantasy.

“The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new”~Osho

One of the happiest moment of my life was when I got the confirmation of my pregnancy. That moment is truly memorable. Pregnancy is a unique and life-altering journey. It brings along immense joy and excitement. It is the beginning of a beautiful journey that lasts a life-time.

For me, it was a time of transition, growth and profound awakening. I developed new perspectives and started seeing things and situations in new light with a totally different viewpoint. I could feel a new sense of responsibility.

“That first pregnancy is like a long sea journey to a country where you don’t know the language, where land is in sight for such a long time that after a while it is just the horizon- and then one day, birds wheel over that dark shape and it is suddenly close, and all you can do is hope like hell that you’ve had the right shots.”~Emily Perkins

The preparations for having a healthy baby starts long before one gets the confirmation of pregnancy. The best approach to follow is a natural and holistic lifestyle. One should avoid smoking and drinking in order to keep the body healthy and fit.

After I got the confirmation of pregnancy, although I was ecstatic and anxious at the same time, the first question that cropped up in my mental arena was “When will the baby arrive in my hands to cuddle and to love?” I wanted THAT moment to arrive at the earliest.

As the news reached my near and dear ones, I was bombarded with lots of do’s and don’t’s from all corners. Based on that advice I decided to take proper rest, care and caution. I went for the regular antenatal check ups and diligently followed my gynae’s instructions related to vitamins, diet and exercise.

Proper diet and nutrition is of utmost importance for a would-be mother. This is necessary for the proper development of the fetus. Doctors often suggest special pregnancy diets with supplements and added vitamins. It was a really challenging time, as I had to alter most of my habits and routines keeping in mind the well-being of my baby.

But I could overcome all the challenges with the unflinching support and loving care of my loved ones, specially my hubby. I was continuously pampered with different varieties of food preparations and all sorts of comforts were taken care of. But the constant feeling of nausea hardly allowed me to consume anything for the first couple of months.

The neighbours would turn up with new, healthy dishes, hoping that i would somehow overcome the nausea and relish eating their preparations. It was a big help. The family atmosphere was kept happy and cheerful so that I did not become stressed or worried at all.

The first trimester was a mixed bag- with the euphoria of knowing that i will soon be a mom, mixed with uneasiness of constant nausea and crippling morning sickness. It was a tough period. Due to hormonal change s almost the whole body got affected in some way or the other. It underwent several changes. These were very overwhelming initially.

More over, extreme tiredness, mood swings, heartburn, completely altered my behavior. Strange craving for ice-cream at midnight and even stranger dislike for certain other things like incense, perfume, etc. were crazy. Hubby dear was on the receiving end because of all these anomalies.

Maintaining an active routine helped me a lot and i remained sane. By being active, the blood supply to the fetus remains optimum.

Luckily these conditions, started disappearing somewhere around the 2nd trimester. As the pregnancy progressed, I started feeling much better and more relaxed. The initial discomforts settled down.

The second trimester was easier than the first one. The nausea and tiredness were negligible and very rare. But a lot of physical changes started happening in the body like stretchmarks- on abdomen, thighs, lower back, swelling of ankles etc. I felt a little conscious and inhibited. Initially amazed how fat how widely my body was undergoing changes but soon I accepted my new body image.

The beautiful thought of my baby growing inside my body made me accept the changes wholeheartedly. This small compromise was nothing compared to the amazing gift my body was about to bestow upon me and my dear ones in the form of my baby.

There are multitude of remedies available nowadays for stretch-marks, in the form of vitamin- e creams and bio oil. With the proper application all through my pregnancy, I was able to counter this problem to a great extent.One can be a yummy mummy according to one’s wishes.

The moment when I first felt my baby move inside me is beyond any explanation and expression. It was like epiphany, the most profound expression of creation possible in the physical realm. I couldn’t stop thanking God again and again for making me a part of his team for Divine Creation. I felt totally humbled and was in immense gratitude for getting this amazing opportunity.

It is a magnificent feeling to realize that you are carrying life within you; that you carry the future of mankind inside.

Now I could hardly wait to hold my baby in my arms. All family members were also waiting with lots of anticipation and with prayers on their lips for the baby to arrive.

“A baby fills a place in your heart that you never knew was empty.”

Soon the day arrived when my darling angel son was placed in my arms and I proudly wore the crown of motherhood.

“Babies are bits of star dust blown from the hand of God. Lucky is the woman who knows the pangs of birth for she has held a star”~ Larry Barreto.